For considerable time now absorbent batts made from fluffed wood pulp fibers have been used in sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, absorbent dressings and the like as a media which is highly absorbent and has considerable capacity for holding fluids. The batts are made from individualized wood pulp fibers which are used not only because of their highly absorbent properties but because of their softness and cost. In many instances the batts are wrapped with tissue or nonwoven fabric or the like to prevent linting of the fibers. In some products the surface of the batt may be stabilized by the addition of a binder to prevent linting and remove the necessity for using a cover or wrap for the batt.
A number of problems may be encountered when stabilizing the lightweight, fluffy, absorbent wood pulp batts. For example, when an adhesive binder is applied to the fibers after the batt is formed the binder is usually applied from a liquid carrier and the weight of the liquid will by itself compact the batt and greatly reduce its original loft. If binders are applied to an air slurry of fibers prior to the batt being formed it is extremely difficult to uniformly distribute the binder throughout the batt.
I have now discovered a process for manufacturing highly absorbent, lightweight, fluffy batts of wood pulp fibers which are uniformly stabilized throughout their depth and maintain excellent absorbing capacity and absorbing rate properties. My new process does not require the use of a liquid or aqueous media to stabilize the batt after the fluffy batt is formed and I am able to maintain excellent loft in the final product. Furthermore, in accordance with my new process I obtain uniform distribution of the binder materials and eliminate problems of migration of these materials.